A blind
country minstrel content to perform on radio broadcasts rather than record his
material, Pete Cassell impressed many listeners with his near-perfect pitch and
self-taught musicianship. Born in Georgia on August 27, 1917, Cassell was
blinded in his infancy, and received his education at special schools in
Georgia. He specialized in law, but turned to performing after teaching himself
to play guitar and sing.
He first appeared on radio in the late '30s for WSB-Atlanta, and spent the rest
of his life in roughly yearlong stints for stations in Georgia, West Virginia,
Virginia, Pennsylvania, Missouri, and Wisconsin. Between the migrations, Cassell
recorded sporadically for Decca, Mercury, and Majestic, from March 1941 to 1949.
None of his sides became popular, though Cassell was a hit for nearly every
station he performed with, including Wheeling, WV's talent-packed WWVA.
He died of coronary thrombosis in 1954. In 1993, Old Homestead released a
collection entitled Pete Cassell, Blind Minstrel.

THE LEGEND OF PETE CASSELL - Recitation
and Introduction / Too Many Parties / A Message To The One I Love / Letter
Edged In Black / The Last Letter / Oh How I Miss You / Waiting For Ships
That Never Come In / Where The Old Red River Flows / 'neath The West
Virginia Sky

BLIND MINSTREL - VOLUME 1 - Where The Old Red River Flows / It's
A Lonely Trail / The Moss Covered Hill / I Kissed You And Told You Goodbye /
It's Too Late To Say You're Sorry / Oh How I Miss You / Waiting For The
Ships That Never Come / Memories That Live / Too Many Parties And Too Many
Pals / A Message To The One I Love / The Last Letter

BLIND
MINSTREL - Intro - Pa's Straight Razor / Where The Old Red River
Flows / It's A Lonely Trail / The Moss Covered Hill / I Kissed You And Told
You Goodbye / It's Too Late To Say You're Sorry / Oh How I Miss You /
Waiting For The Ships That Never Come / Memories That Live / Too Many
Parties And Too Many Pals / A Message To The One I Love / The Last Letter /
Oh How I Miss You / St. Louis Blues / Freight Train Blues / I Can't Feel At
Home / One Step More / Why Don't You Come Back To Me / I Know What It Means
To Be Long Gone / Burning Of The Winecoff Hotel / When I Filled Up For Chaw
/ If You Call That Gone, Goodbye / Letter Edged In Black / Welcome As The
Flowers In May / Lovesick Blues / Beautiful Texas